Models for Life Cycle Assessment: Review of Technical Assumptions in Collection and Transportation Processes

Since the early 1990s, the life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used to quantify the environmental impacts. Due to substantial dissimilarities in results among different LCA waste models, the aim of this review is to analyse different LCA models. Technical assumptions in collection and transportation processes among the models in connection with lifecycle inventory (LCI) databases of inputs and outputs have been compared and reviewed. The most important inputs and outputs in LCI have been analysed. The mechanistic LCA models have been found to operate with more substantial and broader inputs and outputs than deterministic models; therefore, they represent a detailed presentation and a more suitable basis for further calculations, e.g., life cycle costing (LCC) of waste management. Nevertheless, the analysed mechanistic models do not include determined important time consumptions – this was exposed and missing data provided. The final findings are that future LCA models should: (1) include alternative fuels for transportation and bioplastic materials for collection equipment, (2) use mechanistic principles, (3) build detailer LCI data bases, (4) be linked with LCC modelling, (5) use bottom–up approach calculations and provide both environmental and economical point of view